Development & Communications Director

Position Title: Development & Communications Director 

Position Type: Full-time (40 hours per week), Exempt

Reports to: Executive Director/President

About LYRIC

Founded in 1988, the Lavender Youth Recreation & Information Center (LYRIC) provides support and services to nearly 2,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning (LGBTQQ+) and allied youth per year. LYRIC’s mission is to build community and inspire positive social change through education enhancement, career training, health promotion, and leadership development with LGBTQQ+ youth, their families, and allies of all races, classes, genders, and abilities. The organization has a budget of approximately $5 million and a staff of 22.

The Impact You Will Have

The Development & Communications Director serves as a crucial member of LYRIC's Senior Leadership Team and is the driving force behind LYRIC’s fundraising and communication efforts. The Development & Communications Director will work closely with the Executive Director to set short-term and long-term fundraising/communications goals and create and implement plans to achieve those goals. The Development & Communications Director leads board fundraising committees, manages related Development contractors, and also oversees the execution of LYRIC’s annual Pride Pour fundraiser.

What You’ll Do

• Develop and Implement a comprehensive fundraising plan inclusive of major gifts, corporate and foundation giving, and special events.
  • Identify and cultivate major gift prospects, as well as corporate and foundation donors.
  • Plan and execute signature fundraising events such as  LYRIC’s Pride Pour event. 
  • Create and execute donor cultivation events such as the Donor Appreciation Soiree.
  • Manage and grow a private institutional grants portfolio. 
  • Manage prospecting, proposal development, proposal submission, and reporting in partnership with staff and development consultants.
  • Refine and maintain fund development best practices, systems, procedures, and policies, including those related to donor database management (Raiser’s Edge) and gift processing/entry/tracking/acknowledgment.
• In the near future, this role will manage and lead a team of staff, volunteers, and contractors.
  • Facilitate ongoing leadership development with direct reports, including initiating professional development goal-setting process and identifying professional development opportunities for direct reports.
  • Work with the Finance Director to project and track the fund development-related revenue and expenses of the agency’s annual budget, including monthly fiscal reconciliation and annual audit preparation.
  • Work with LYRIC’s Vice President on alignment with program pillars/deliverables and private funding.
• Design and implement a cohesive communications plan.
  • Develop and implement a complementary communications plan to: (1) highlight LYRIC’s vision and community impact; (2) strengthen the organization’s external messaging; and (3) cultivate donor relationships.
  • Craft key organization-wide messages and manage their distribution through various print media (organizational collateral, annual report, direct solicitation mailings, etc.) and digital channels (The LYRIC Letter, LYRIC.org, social media, etc.), coordinating consultants and vendors as needed.
  • Compose strong, effective internal and external communications content and correspondence with audience-specific styles, grammar, and tones.
• Work closely with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and Vice President of Programs.
  • Participate as a member of LYRIC’s Senior Leadership Team, working collaboratively to set and meet LYRIC’s strategic initiatives and annual work plans, following LYRIC’s operating principles.
  • Act as primary staff liaison to the LYRIC Board Fund Development Committee, partnering with the Committee Lead to set the committee’s annual work plan and achieve its goals.

Who You Are

• Seasoned fundraising professional with proven ability to help create and achieve goals of a multi-strategy development plan and at least 5 years senior level experience and 5  years supervising staff.
• Experience in building and expanding a development effort by utilizing moves management, major gift solicitation, and other development tools.
• Demonstrated success in fundraising experience with individuals, foundations, and corporations.
• Track record of soliciting and closing six-figure gifts.
• Proven experience diversifying revenue streams (major donors and private foundations preferred).
• Demonstrated experience overseeing complex or multiple projects through to success, including meeting financial goals and coordinating the work of key staff and volunteers.
• Experience reporting to a board and/or board committees.
• Experience collaborating and ensuring alignment across departments within an organization.
• Experience with creating a mission-driven culture of accountability; enhanced workplace culture and youth development, social justice, and racial equity principles and practices values.
• Familiarity with LGBTQQ+ giving culture.
• Passion and commitment to fostering healthy LGBTQQ+ youth and the ability to work in a supportive role within protocols that prioritize youth development principles and organizational capacity.
• Experience and competencies in working in a multiracial, multicultural environment.

Why LYRIC 

• A career that truly impacts the lives of LGBTQQ+ youth;
• $800 annual health & wellness cash supplement;  
• Professional and Learning Development Trainings including $1000 optional employee’s choice of professional and learning development external opportunities.
• Comprehensive health insurance including full coverage of medical, dental, vision, and acupuncture/chiropractic insurance for employees;  
• Optional Health FSA and Commuter Benefits with employee contributions
• 403b retirement plan, including up to 4% employer matching;  
• 19 holidays observed including employee birthday and 5 days for winter break. 19 Vacation (accrued at 6.33 hours twice a month) days, 18 sick days (accrued at 6 hours twice a month), 1 personal day; 3 days of critical incident leave, 3 days of bereavement leave, and 5 days of paid jury duty.
• Hybrid work schedule offering two work-from-home days.

$112,246.32 annual salary.  LYRIC uses an equity-based model of compensation; we offer a fixed pay rate for staff according to position and tenure with an annual pay. 

Equal Opportunity Employer

LYRIC is an equal opportunity employer. Applications are strongly encouraged from women, people of color, immigrants, young people, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender and genderqueer people, people living with HIV/AIDS, people with disabilities, and bilingual and bicultural people. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

LYRIC partners with SFDPH to serve vulnerable youth populations. Verified Covid 19 vaccination is required.